Bengal is a region of productive agricultural land and rich biodiversity, with its wildlife including fishing cats, leopards, tigers, the river terrapin, the Himalayan salamander, elephants and hundreds of different birds. The survival of its wildlife and ecosystems, and in turn agriculture, depend on its natural wetlands. These wetlands, however, have been disappearing rapidly.

During the 1970s and 80s, a huge number of natural wetlands were filled in for development as people migrated from the newly independent Bangladesh. They still are disappearing and scientists predict that they will all be gone by 2030 unless action is taken. READ MORE…